Legend of the Seeker

ABC

Legend of the Seeker - 109 - Puppeteer

The outpouring of support for Legend made me curious to see if the show was capable of growth after what I thought was a predictable pilot episode. So on the recommendation of a commenter I jumped forward to episode nine. The romantic chemistry between Richard and Kahlan has grown a little while Zedd is left to carry the episode inside Queen Milena's castle.

This episode is a perfect candidate for my traditional review structure. On the "bad" side of the ledger if you want to call it that, this is children's television. The object of the show is to deliver Darken Rahl into Richard's sword. The show makes it abundantly clear that nothing but that is going to happen. I would assume that Richard and Kahlen will then end up making beautiful children as they are already hinting that they would like to here. Within the story itself the results are utterly predictable with Zedd playing the Gandalf\Dumbledore role and staying one step ahead of the game at all times. Despite a bit of blood there is nothing edgy or intricate enough to capture an adult audience that I can see.

Now if that sounded harsh, let me give you the flip side. This was surprisingly entertaining and at times suspenseful as the writing and directing put every conceivable obstacle in front of Zedd (including a stern test of his morality). The attempts to get you to think something might go wrong worked pretty well. The timing of each obstacle made this a classic caper story as the potential dangers facing Rachel, Zedd and Martha increased with each scene. The simple morality was also somewhat appealing in an age when so many shows based around human vice and corruption seems to intrigue people. Though Richard does seem to be killing a lot of people and the blood was on full display.

I feel intrigued enough that I might pop in to the Seeker's world further down the road and see how Richard is coming along. But for now I would definitely recommend the show only if you are of a certain age or Lord of the Rings style fantasy is your thing.